October 2016

Health Psychology MSc graduate Caroline has joined the Health Apps team to work out what people really class as “home cooking” or “cooking from scratch”. Does a jar of pasta sauce count if you chop and add all your own veg? Is using ready made curry paste counted as “scratch cooking”?

We want to understand what cooking from scratch really means to people so that we can find better ways to encourage more people to cook for themselves rather than eat ready meals and processed foods.

There are so many reasons why it makes sense to cook from scratch:

It’s healthier

It can help to prevent or manage type 2 diabetes

It could prevent other diseases and some types of cancer

It’s fresher and tastier

There are no hidden ingredients or chemicals

You have control

Relax – put some music on!

It’s rewarding – impress your friends!

Get sociable – share a meal with family

It gets you active – put your step counter on and see how much you move while shopping, preparing food, cooking and clearing up.

So put some music on, impress your friends, and have a good catch up while you enjoy the benefits of home cooking!